How to improve workflows between radiologists and referrers
Referring clinicians want better relationships with attending radiologists, according to new survey data.
Surveys completed by more than 700 referring clinicians offer new insights into how processes between referrers and radiology staff can be improved. Results indicate that referrers value accurate reports more than anything, but a number of other measures indicate that they also hold their interactions with attending radiologists in high esteem.
Findings from the survey were shared recently in Clinical Imaging, where experts involved in the work explained how the insight gained from clinicians’ responses could help drive improvements in provider relationships and patient care.
“Understanding how each part of the radiology process map impacts clinicians' overall satisfaction is important because referring clinicians may score a particular part of the radiology workflow as low performing, but their overall satisfaction with radiology is more dependent on other areas of the radiology workflow,” corresponding author Brian Haas, with the University of California San Francisco, and co-authors noted.
The experts included 11 different domains of the radiology process map to determine which factors impact referrer satisfaction the most and to identify underperforming areas that can be improved.
Report accuracy and interactions with the attending radiologist in their section were found to be the biggest drivers of satisfaction. Other factors, such as timeliness of inpatient radiology results, technologist interactions, appointment availability for urgent outpatient studies and guidance for selecting appropriate imaging exams, all followed closely behind.
At the experts’ institutions, these responses prompted several projects intended to improve referrers’ satisfaction with radiology workflows, including steps taken to improve inpatient MRI access, developing ordering guides and revamping prior authorization software.
The authors suggested that not only do these measures improve job satisfaction, but they also have the potential to improve patient care.
“In the end, understanding how referring clinicians value radiology services will allow all practices to deliver higher quality service and continue to lead in the era of value-based healthcare,” the group wrote.
The study abstract is available here.
In addition to her background in journalism, Hannah also has patient-facing experience in clinical settings, having spent more than 12 years working as a registered rad tech. She joined Innovate Healthcare in 2021 and has since put her unique expertise to use in her editorial role with Health Imaging.